Ashes of the Singularity II Editions Compared: Standard vs Premium

Two editions of Ashes of the Singularity II ship on the same day, and the gap between them is $30. The Standard Edition is $39.99 and the Premium Edition is $69.99, and Stardock has not published the names, the contents or the separate prices of the three DLC packs that the Premium includes. The game launches on Steam on November 10, 2026. Our Ashes of the Singularity II hub keeps the dates, the prices and the system requirements together.

• Buy the $39.99 Standard if you want the real-time strategy game and nothing else. It is the whole game.
• Buy the $69.99 Premium if you want the soundtrack and all three DLC packs on day one. Nobody has said what those packs are yet.
• Neither edition unlocks early. Both go live at the same moment, 9 a.m. ET on November 10, so paying more does not get you into the game first.

What each edition includes

Stardock’s release announcement says the game “will release on November 10, 2026 with a launch discount on Steam or direct through Stardock.” The prices sit in Stardock’s press release, which states that the base game “will be available at launch for $39.99 on Steam or direct through Stardock, with a special discounted price available from Nov. 10-17” and that the Premium Edition “will be available for $69.99 and will include the base game, the first three DLC packs, and the Ashes of the Singularity II soundtrack.”

Steam agrees on the split in its edition panel for the game: “Standard Edition includes the base game. Premium Edition contains the soundtrack and first 3 DLC.”

What the $39.99 Standard gives you

Ashes of the Singularity II is a real-time strategy game built by Oxide Games and published by Stardock Entertainment. Our report on the announcement covers the reveal and the three factions.

The Standard is the complete game. That means the single-player campaign, instant action skirmishes against computer-controlled opponents, and online PvP and co-op with the United Earth Forces, the Post-Human Coalition or the AI Substrate. Strategic Zoom is the camera system that moves from orbital command down to frontline combat, and victory is decided by planning and logistics rather than reflexes. Steam lists 14 languages, with full audio in English, plus Steam Achievements and Steam Cloud. There is no locked campaign, no trimmed multiplayer and no day-one patch sitting behind the Premium.

The game is Windows only. Steam’s platform list shows Windows and nothing else, and Stardock’s announcement names Steam and its own store as the only places to buy it. No console edition has been announced.

What the $69.99 Premium adds

Three things, by Stardock’s own count: the first three DLC packs, the soundtrack, and the base game you would have bought anyway. Steam’s store page lists the DLC packs as part of the Premium but does not name them, and the game’s Steam page shows no DLC product beyond the Ashes of the Singularity II Playtest app. Stardock has not published a price for any of the three packs, and neither the press release nor the store page describes what they contain.

The soundtrack is the one extra with a clear identity: it is the game’s own music. Neither Steam nor Stardock’s announcement lists the soundtrack as a separate purchase, so today the Premium is the only way to get it. If you want the music and nothing else from the extras, that is a $69.99 decision, and worth thinking about before you commit.

The launch discount, and why it may not help

Stardock’s press release ties the discount to the base game: $39.99 at launch “with a special discounted price available from Nov. 10-17.” The percentage has not been published, and the announcement does not say whether the Premium takes part in the same window. The store page is still wishlist-only, so no price is on sale yet and the launch offer only appears when the game unlocks on November 10. Our release-time guide has the unlock moment for every time zone.

Neither edition unlocks early

Steam’s store page carries a single release timestamp for the game, 9 a.m. ET on November 10 (14:00 UTC), and it applies to the game as a whole.

There is no early-access tier for the Premium and no head start for anyone who pays more.

Stardock’s release-day livestream announcement puts the stream at 1 p.m. EST (18:00 UTC) that day, four hours after the game goes live, with the team playing the campaign and multiplayer matches live.

Can you upgrade after launch?

Not yet, and this is the weakest part of the announcement. Stardock has not described an upgrade path, and there is no separate upgrade product on Steam today because the game is not on sale. Compare that with Tales of Eternia Remastered, where extras such as the artbook and the soundtrack are sold on their own for owners of the Standard. Ashes of the Singularity II has no such product listed yet, so there is no way to price the extras separately today. We will update this page when the store lists one.

Is there a physical copy, and is it on Game Pass or PS Plus?

No physical edition has been announced, and neither subscription service applies here. This is a Windows-only PC release sold on Steam and through Stardock, with no console version announced, so there is nothing for Game Pass or PS Plus to carry and no retail box to hunt for. The digital edition is the only edition on the table.

Which one should you buy?

• Most players: the $39.99 Standard. The Premium’s extra content has no names, no prices and no early access behind it, so what you are buying is a bundle of three unknowns for $30.
• Soundtrack buyers: the $69.99 Premium, if you would rather pay once and be done. Nothing else sells the soundtrack separately.
• Players who want the DLC later: the Standard, then wait for the packs to be named and priced. If Stardock sells them separately, buying the Standard first keeps your options open.
• Players still checking the game out: wait for launch. Stardock ran a Steam Next Fest demo and a public multiplayer playtest in September, and the base game carries a launch discount from November 10 to 17, so there is no reason to buy before the store opens.

We compared the two prices in Stardock’s press release with the two editions Steam publishes for the game, and they agree: $39.99 and $69.99, $30.00 apart, with the Premium carrying four extras and no earlier access. That leaves one honest way to price the bundle, and it does not flatter it. Three of the four extras are DLC packs with no names, no contents and no separate prices. The soundtrack is not sold on its own, and the launch discount that would soften the decision applies to the base game at a percentage nobody has published. If the three packs turn out to be a substantial addition, $30 will look cheap. If they land thin, the Standard was the right call and the $30 bought you a soundtrack. Nobody can make that call from what Stardock has published so far, so check the store on launch day and buy accordingly.

Edited by Kerwin Stewart, Editor-in-Chief · How we report